Bon Iver’s new tattoo takes its cues from Art Nouveau

We’re thrilled to have musician Justin Vernon (better known as Bon Iver) running a tattoo design contest on our site — not just because we’re indie music geeks, but because the man has revealed an awesome design sensibility.

His brief specifications — the cross-breeding of an image from Northern Exposure with the art of Alphonse Mucha — has given us an excuse to dive into the world of Art Nouveau and its influence on modern illustration, logo, packaging, type and even web design.

Let’s take a look at this marvelously decorative style:

The Paris metro is a prime example of Art Nouveau architecture

Most prominent between about 1890 and 1910, the Art Nouveau style in architecture and graphic design was characterized by dynamic, flowing lines, plant-like tendrils and flourishes. As one writer put it at the time, “like sudden violent curves generated by the crack of a whip.” It was arguably the first ever international style, popular in Europe and America, bridging neoclassicism into 20th century modernism.